Saturday, May 16, 2009, 04:02 PM
Hidden Shadows - Maryann Paige
2008
A complex story of evil lurking in a (formerly) quiet Hudson Valley town, Hidden Shadows is a frightening tale with an interesting cast. What starts as a freak tornado and one small child's experiences with mysterious shadow entities begins to involve more and more people. The various people weave in and out of one another's lives as the malevolence plaguing the town becomes more and more violent.
I really did like this book and felt that it had a lot of promise, but I felt that it had a better development than resolution. This could be intentional, to allow for a sequel, but I felt that a better conclusion could have tied all of the elements of the novel together into a more cohesive story. The characters are truly sympathetic, and they all have great backstory -- the audience can feel with them.
All in all, I think the author has potential, and I think this could actually be continued into a series. I wouldn't mind reading more, perhaps from the characters' futures. Four out of five.
4.0/5
(For Bitten by Books)
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( 3.1 / 63 )Sunday, May 10, 2009, 11:08 AM
Out of Her Dreams - Dee Lloyd
2008
Kate has dreamed of a handsome, loving man since she was a child - a man that no one can match in looks and kindness. On the surface, Kate's new home offers a cure for her writer's block; she certainly does not expect to find a ghost that resembles her dream lover, Jake, in every way and who claims that she is the reincarnation of the love he lost in 1919.
Their meeting cannot be a coincidence; Jake's family was the victim of a medieval curse that only union with his soulmate could break. To save Jake, the pair sets out on a quest to find a lost pendant and rekindle their past love in the process, all while avoiding the evil that seeks to stop them.
This was a lovely book! I especially enjoyed how the author used the lovely, ethereal descriptions to set the stage for her central characters, and the supporting cast felt very real. The romance develops very naturally, and the paranormal elements are well-woven into the story as a whole.
A great read! Five out of five.
5.0/5
(For Bitten by Books)
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( 3 / 74 )Sunday, March 15, 2009, 12:05 PM
Passage to Mesentia - Dorlana Vann
2008
The daughter of two Egyptologists, Isabella Steward has been inundated with the archaeology and lore of ancient Egypt for her entire life. Her relationship with Wade Roberts seems stable enough until her parents are killed for a mysterious artifact -- and a dark stranger might hold the key to solving why they were murdered.
This novella was a fun little read. It reminded me of a cross between a Sherlock Holmes paranormal story and one of the old Universal horror films. Additionally, the author clearly did her historical and archaeological research, which I very much appreciated. I also very much did not expect the twists at the end of the book, either.
As far as characters go, I thought both of the leads were very realistic, and especially enjoyed the attention given to the development of her flawed but somehow still lovable boyfriend. A nice read with an ancient twist.
Passage to Mesentia is the "Death" edition of "The Dark Tarot".
4/5
(For Bitten by Books)
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( 3 / 78 )Tuesday, March 3, 2009, 07:10 PM
Dark Prince - Christine Feehan
1999
Mikhail Dubrinsky is leader of the Carpathians, an elemental race of vampiric creatures that calls the wilds of Romania home. Driven near to eternal darkness, he finds his salvation in the form of Raven Whitney, a rare telepathic human on retreat in his homeland. Together, and with the help of the rest of the Carpathians, Mikhail and Raven must eliminate a group of vampire-hunters -- radicals that believe the Carpathians are evil, while coming to terms with their own feelings for one another.
I really tried hard to like this book. I really did. Christine Feehan's books were recommended to me time after time, and most reviews of the series are rave. However, the plot felt both entirely too simplistic and too convoluted all in one. The pacing of the book is bad, with plot-threads that could have been better employed if brought out earlier delayed until the end, when they were too tangled to be enjoyable
The romance bothered me on a multitude of levels. The lead female character was annoying, and instead of coming across as a strong female lead, as it seems Feehan was trying to do, she comes off as whiny and petulant. I didn't sense chemistry between the characters at all, and even the sex scenes seemed uninspired and lacking any particular zing. Feehan also has a distracting habit of reusing the same phrases over and over in her descriptions, which gets tiresome after a few chapters.
That said, she has an interesting concept, for which this book is worthwhile. When not repetitive, her descriptions, especially of settings, aren't bad, and she seems to have a good grasp of how to get into characters' brains. I'd like to read more of Feehan's work, preferably featuring other characters in the romantic role -- maybe the Mikhail/Raven pairing just wasn't my cup of tea.
3.5/5
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( 3 / 88 )Thursday, February 12, 2009, 03:19 PM
22 Nights - Linda Winstead Jones
2008
General Merin, a loyal soldier, is dispatched by his emperor to retrieve a headstrong potential bride for the ruler's appraisal, but it will be the supreme test of his fealty: Belavari Haythorne guilefully seduced the handsome soldier six years before. More complicating than a mere former liaison, however, is new knowledge that Bela also married him. To dissolve the marriage, they must be bound together for three weeks, which may not be the worst of their problems when fearsome, magic-driven enemies appear.
Woven into their tale is the related story of Sayvn, a craftsman, and Leyla, the noblewoman he loves - who is another of the emperor's potential brides. No less enjoyable than the main plot, this subplot is simply beautiful.
This stunning fantasy romance is absolutely fantastic. I adored the adventures and development of both plotlines, and I wondered how I possibly could have missed reading this wonderful author before. The characters develop very fluidly and realistically, and the internal dialogue is excellent.
Linda Winstead Jones is an exceptional storyteller who knows how to construct a delicious worlds to set her stories in, and her characters are genuinely compelling. I intend to find the rest of her novels -- I love this writer! An A-plus rating for this book, not to mention five stars.
5/5
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( 3 / 85 )Saturday, January 31, 2009, 04:44 PM
Kitty Raises Hell - Carrie Vaughn
2009
Kitty Norville is back in her most exciting adventure yet, a continuation of her Las Vegas tribulations in Kitty and the Dead Man's Hand. Her temporary defeat of the vampire priestess was just that, a non-permanent solution, and trailing her back to Denver is a fire-creature bent on destroying Kitty and her Pack. She is far from without her share of allies, however -- the crew of a paranormal television series backs her up, as well as new-husband Ben and her vampire allies.
This is my favorite Kitty book to date, and I adored how the vampire intrigue plotlines of the previous books continued through to Raises Hell. The "villain" is one of the best yet, inscrutable and nebulous in motives, as is as the maybe-ally, Roman, who offers his assistance to the Pack Alpha and Denver's master vampire, Rick.
Better than amazing writing from one of the best writers in the paranormal genre, this book will blow you away. Perfect marks for Kitty!
5/5
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( 3 / 77 )Friday, January 30, 2009, 08:41 AM
Kitty and the Silver Bullet - Carrie Vaughn
2008
Keywords: Book Reviews, Paranormal, Shapeshifters, Vampires
After a Thoreau-like retreat into the wilderness and time spent away from Denver, Kitty Norville and her radio show, The Midnight Hour are back in the mile-high city. Domestic matters call when Kitty's mother falls ill, just in time for political upheaval within the vampire and werewolf communities. Returning home, especially having left running away from her former abusive Pack, is never easy, and Kitty and her fellow "Alpha", Ben, find themselves embedded in the struggle for new leadership of both supernatural factions.
The characters of Kitty's world just keep getting better and better, and nothing ever turns out like it seems it will. The supporting cast of previous books is always revisited and explored, and Vaughn is a master of keeping all her plot-threads in a row, waiting to be tied up in a later book. I adore her witty, first-person writing, and she always leaves the reader clamoring for the next book.
And, as an aside and as a resident of the Front Range, I'd also like to personally thank Ms. Vaughn for writing an outstanding series set in an underexplored setting for paranormal. These books are awesome; if you haven't read them, you're missing out on a real treat.
5/5
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( 3 / 75 )Monday, January 19, 2009, 01:21 PM
Tormented - K.Z. Snow
2008
Tormented is a fun return to K.Z. Snow's paranormal realm, revisiting the characters Celia and Adin while expanding upon the story of the vampire who originally turned Adin, Rahenna. Changed by an unknown creature into a lust-crazed, fanged creature (instead of her usual, unfanged, lady-vampire self), she tracks down her now-mortal creation, Adin, whose reversion to humanity she sensed. But amongst his festivities, she is forced to deal with the consequences of her own transformation.
Though I would not recommend it as a stand-alone novella, Tormented is enjoyable as part of Snow's established cycle. I look forward to reading the third piece of the story, and hope that Ms. Snow continues to write within this universe!
3.5/5
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( 2.9 / 85 )Tuesday, January 13, 2009, 01:09 AM
Kitty Takes a Holiday - Carrie Vaughn
2007
Keywords: Book Reviews, Paranormal, Shapeshifters
The third installment in the evolution of Kitty Norville is an edgy, daring adventure into the increasingly-barren existence of the plucky werewolf female. Still as much of an amazing lead as ever and deeper with every chapter, the Kitty books truly have a niche.
After the national fame of Kitty Goes to Washington, Ms. Norville returns to Colorado, if not her former Denver home. The opposite of her high-brow, cosmopolitan existence in her Washington escapades, Kitty goes wild -- to a point, finding a cabin in the woods to call her own. But, as her luck would have it, things fall apart rather abruptly, with developments that threaten her relationships with some and strengthen those with others.
Carrie Vaughn has the guts to write her books with twists that aren't always the obvious ones -- and usually are the shocking ones. Holiday has streaks of horror and scenes where the adrenaline starts through the reader. And, if the terror of the darkest side of the paranormal isn't dislikable enough, the "normal" world steps up to the task, filled with enough violence of its own kind.
Nothing is ever as it seems in the Kitty books except for the fact that they're impossible to put down. Five out of five without question.
5/5
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( 3.1 / 75 )Monday, January 12, 2009, 08:18 PM
Kitty Goes to Washington - Carrie Vaughn
2006
Away from her torrid past in Denver, Kitty is on the move. With government recognition of the "variants" of humans -- most notably vampires and werewolves -- Kitty is called before a Senate committee to attest to the nature of werewolves as an expert witness. However, even if not those of a pack, politics are still scathing, and Ms. Norville attracts attention from all corners; the city's vampire Master, a gorgeous werejaguar, as well as old friends and enemies from Kitty and the Midnight Hour.
The saga continues the first book's sarcastic wit and matches (if not exceeds it) for the exceptionally well-executed plot. Loose ends are tied neatly -- though not too neatly, of course -- and the newly introduced personalities are fun to love and/or hate.
This, as is its predecessor novel, highly-recommended.
As a note, "Kitty Goes to Washington" also contains a short-story, "Kitty Meets the Band", also a load of fun.
5/5
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